Metal-faced cabinet for refrigerators and other purposes



Jan. 7, 1930. G. R. MEYERCORD ET AL.

METAL FACED CABINET FOR REFRIGERA-TORS AND OTHER PURPOSES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 7, 1926 fii M971 5//m G. R. MEYERCORD ET AL 1,742,921

METAL FACED CABINET FOR REFRIGERATORS AND OTHER PURPOSES I Jan. 7, 1930.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 1926 Y 5 wsxx L7 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 s. R. MEYERCORD ET Ag.

HETAL FACED CABINET FOR REFRIGERATORS AND OTHER PURPOSES Filed Jan. 1926 Jan. 7, i 1930.

G. R. MEYERCORD ET AL Jan. 7, 1930.

METAL FACED CABINET FOR REFRIGERATORS AND OTHER PURPOSES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 1926 jlflnz arsx Patented Jan. 7, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE R. MEYERCORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND FRANK M. CURRAN, 0F GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORS T0 I-IASKELITE MANUFACTURING CORPORATION,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK METAL-FACED CABINET FOR REFRIGERATORS AND OTHER PURIOSES Application filed January 7, 1926.

The present invention has for its object to produce a metal-sheathed cabinet or shell that shall be strong, rigid and not liable to distortion through warping or swelling, which may be made of light sheet metal and Wooden backing or frame members of cheap or low grade material, and which may be made in a knocked-down condition and be assembled easily and at very small expense at the place where it is to be adapted for its ultimate use.

In carrying out our invention, we form a simple wooden frame having the dimensions of the front of the cabinet, and cover this frame with sheet metal that is formed to fit over the outer face of the frame, over the outer side edges and over the inner side edges around the door opening or openings. The metal is glued to the frame under heavy pressure while lying on a flat anvil, so that the sheathed frame has a perfectly fiat outer face. The margins of the metal bounding the door opening or openings may afterwards be covered by portions of door stops placed around such opening or openings to formabutments against which the door or doors may bear. Each door includes a flat core or body sheathed on both faces with metal glued thereto under pressure to produce a flat panel, the metal extending around the edges of the core so as completely to enclose the core in metal. The core of the door is thus protected against moisture and the door as a whole will be proof against warping when in use. The doors are made hollow and are adapted to be filled with suitable heat-insulating material. The side and rear walls and the top and bottom of the cabinet are in the form of fiat panels made of stock sheathed on both sides with metal glued thereto. The panels are suitably shaped so that they may be assembled with the front to form a strong rigid shell or cabinet requiring no other frame work or bracing. All sheathing is securely glued to the underlying body material whether it be a frame member or simply a panel, and the marginal portions of the sheathing are extended or at any rate so located that they will be covered by a molding or other part. Aside from the glue, no other door and the abutments therefor.

Serial No. 79,713.

to vibrations as it is when housing or supporting a motor or when standing on a floor that supports or is subjected to the vibrations of a motor, engine or the like. The frame forming the front may be built up to any desired thickness by nailing or otherwise securing boards or strips to the inner side thereof.

Our improved construction is particularly applicable for use as the outer shell of a refrigerator, because the doors may fit tightly without exposing the metal sheathing within the door openings or 011 the door to the interior of the refrigerator when the doors are closed; and because there cannot be sufficient distortion of the core parts whereby the seal is effected, when a door is closed, to cause cracks to appear between the In manufacturing a refrigerator, an inner shell, between which and the outer shell the insulation is confined, may readily be assembled with its insulation in a condition to be clamped securely in the outer shell in as-,

sembling the latter.

The various features of novelty whereby.

our invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed outwith particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of our tailed description taken in connection with v the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a completed cabinet, the hinges and fastening-is of the doors being omitted; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the wooden frame for the front of the cabinet; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the frame after the metal sheathing has been applied thereto; Fig. 4 is a. view similar to Fig. 3, showing the frame after the door stops and thickening pieces have been applied; Fig. 5 is a vertical cen-' tral section, on an enlarged scale, on line 55 of Fig. 4; Fig.6 is a section, onan enlarged scale, on line 6-6 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a section .on line 77 of Fig. 4; Fig. 8 is a top net showing afragment thereof; Fig. 11 is a vertical section through the cabinet on a plane extending at right angles' to the front and year walls of the cabinet; Figs. 12 and 13 are respectively a top plan view and a side elevation of one of thelegs of the cabinet;

Fig. 14is a section throu gh} the front of the cabinet at the bottom, showing the mannerof attachment of one.of the-legs; and Fig.1.)

is a section through the top front corner of the a cabinet, showing a slight modification.

In thedrawings we have illustrated a construction that may -be advantageously em ployed in the manufactureof refrigerators having an upper door 'anda lowerdoor. and, for the sake of brevity, the detailed description will be confined to this particular em bodiment of the invention; although the in? vention is. notZ limited to this-particular .use.

The foundation for the front wall oft-the cabinet is a rectangular wooden frame, shown in Fig. 2; the frame conveniently-consisting of two upright side members I and 2 and cross pieces 3, 4 and 5. These several frame members may be of anyzdesir'ed size and of anyv desired material. Since they are to be-metal sheathed, as hereinafter explained,they may k be made of comparatively low grade wood,

Asa matter of fact,theframemay be made of boards not over an inch; thick, since added thickness may be built up on the inner sidethereof if the. purposes for which-thecabinet is used require it. The cross pieces may befastened to the uprights by means ofdowel pins 6, best shown in Figs. 2 and 6. Nails 7 may be driven through the frame and through the ends of the dowel pins; thus producing a construction in which the parts may all be machine made and then be quickly assembled and securely fastened by the mere act of driving a number of small nails. .After the frame has been assembled as shown'in Fig. 2, it is faced with sheet metal overlying one face and flanged to cover the edges of the frame members. The metal is fastened to the wood by gluing it, preferably under heavy pressure. In the arrangement shown, there are sheet metal channels 9, 10 and 11 covering the cross bars 3, 4 and 5 respectively; the websof these channels being preferably extended across the adjacent portions of the side members of the frame and across the outer edges of the latter, thereby to serve as additional ties or fastening means between the cross members and the upright members. Other sheet metal channels 12, 12 are glued on the uprights.

The channel 11 is .made wider than the frame member 5, so that the-bottomflange" 13 .lies parallel with the bottom. edge of". this member but at a distance below the same equal to the thickness of the bottom panel to be hereinafter described,=as shown in Fig The metal face of the frame should show no joints and therefore, when the sheathing is made of separate pieces as shown, they should overlap where they meet, to prevent the glue from interfering with successful soldering of the joints. The oints may therefore be made as shown-in Fig.7, wherein the ends 14 of the channels :12 are reduced in size to an amount equalto twice the thickness of the sheet metal fromwhich thechannels are made. Therefore the webs of the transverse channels, when lying upon thesev vre-, duced ends of the upright channels are flush with the outer faces of the latter channels, and solder flowed into the oints, will not come in contact with the underlyingglue.

The next (step in the production of the w front of thecabinet is the attachment, of the door stops. The door stops may bein'the form of a wooden framel5, somewhat longer and wider than the foundation frame and having openings adapted'to register with but smaller than the door openings in the latter.

;When this auxiliary frame is securedto the rear face of the foundation frame, it projects beyond the top and side edges of the latter. forming with, the same a coveor groove 16 extending across the top and down the sides into the door openings a sufficient distance to Iprovide each door opening with a door stop at all four sides. It is desirable that the raw edges of thesheet metal extending into the door openings be concealed, and we therefore of the foundation frame, and also projects thicken that part of the auxiliary or door-stop frame over those areas which register with the main door openings, by forming thereon ribs or ledges 17 that enter the main door openings and slightly overlapthe sheet metal flanges in the door openings.

In order to secure added strength and rigidity forthe front of the cabinet a third frame 18, of wooden boards or strips, may

be fastened to the inner side of the door-stop: I frame. The outside width and height of this frame may be the same as the corresponding,

dimensions of the door-stop frame; but the openings therein being smaller than thosein the door-stop frame,.so that door openings decrease in size at the door-stop frame and again at the innermost frame.

Each of the doors is madeofva simple rec tangular frame 19, of wood, that approximately fits its door opening, that is the main portion of the door opening bounded by the metal sheathed frame elements the inner portion of this frame being smaller, as indicated at 20, to permit it to pass through the open ings in the two inner frames. At what may be termed the base of the reduced portion of the frame on which the door is built is a gasket 21; this gasket being compressed between the door stops and the door when the door is closed. The outer face of each door is formed of a suitable panel 22 sheathed with sheet metal 23 on both sides, the metal being securely glued to the body of the panel. The metal sheathings are wider and longer than the body of the panel so as to permit them to be bent over the edges of the body portion of the panel and overlapped, as indi rated at 24. This panel is'fastened to the frame 19 by means of nails 25 driven through the flange or enlarged portion of this frame and into the panel while the latter is sup ported on an anvil or other suitable solid support, whereby the nails, when they strike the inner surface of the outer metal sheathmg, will be deflected and become clinched. The inside of each door is formed of a metal or metal-sheathed panel 26 fastened in place by means of cleats 27 overlying the inner face of the panel and nailed through the panel to the frame 19. The door is therefore hollow and may be left with a mere insulating air space, or it may be filled with sultable insuiating material. In any event, the door may be made by the manufacturer of the cabinet, with the inner panel detached, and thereupon the manufacturer of the refrlgerator may place in the door the desired lnsulation and then attach the inner panel or wall.

Aside from the front frame, no other framing is required, since the panels, to be described, give the necessary strength and rigidity to the structure. r

The sides and back of the cablnet may be made of two metal sheathed panels, each of which covers one side and one-half of the back. A fragment of such a panel 18 shown in Fi 9, in which 30 represents the body member and 31 the metal sheathing on the flat faces thereof. A V-sha'ped groove 32 1s across each of these panels, through the body portion thereof, along the line where the panel is to be bent to form one of the rear sorners. The sheathing along that edge which is to be at the front of the panel ls extended beyond the body member, as lndicated at 33, to form a lip or flange. This overhanging metal lip or flange 1s wider than the thickness of the panel as a whole so that when bent laterally across the edge of the panel 1t projects beyond the inner face of the latter and enters the cove 16 in the ad acent slde postof the front frame when the panel 1s placed against said post. The top of the cabinet consists of a panel 34 sheathed on both sides with metal, as indicated at 35. The metal sheathing on the outer face of this panel is made large enough to'project beyond the" f body member at all four sides, so as to provide lips or flanges 36 as best shown in Fig. 11; those lips or flanges being wider than the thickness of the panel and being bent down past the edges of the panelso as to project below the same; "It should be, noted that" flanges of the type just described are formed along the upper edges ofthe two panels that I V constitute the two side and the rear walls,

these flanges being bent inwardly, asindicated at 37 in Fig. 11. g

The bottom of the cabinet is formed of a simple panel 38 sheathed on both sides with sheet metal 39. This panel is adapted to enter'the groove or trough between the bottom of the front frame and the flange 13 heretofore described, and best shown in Fig.

5; the flange being spaced apart from the bottom edge of the frame adistance equal to the thickness of the bottom panel. Consequently the front of the bottom panel is supported directly by the bottom flange of the metal sheathing on the front frame. The

same kind of support is provided at the sides 7 There is a 1 thus formed a horizontal shelf 40 along the m bottom edges of the side and rear walls of the cabinet, in the same plane as the flange or shelf 13 on the front frame, to support the bottom panel. When the parts are assembled, the bottom panel rests on these shelves and is engaged'atits upper face with the bottom of thefront frame and the bottom edges of the cores or bodies of the side and rear walls.

The members constituting the six walls of the cabinet are adapted to be fastened together by simple nailed joints. We therefore provide several nailing cleats for use in the corners where there is not already a'backing into which nails may be driven. In the arrangement shown, there are four of these 1 cleats, two in the upper side angles or corners and the others 1n the upper andlower rear angles or corners. The upper three cleats or nailing strips are shown in Fig. 8, in which 41 is the upper rear cleat and 42 and 43 are the two upper side cleats." These cleats are so shaped as to produce a cove 44 following their upper outer corners and form with the 'cove 16 at the top ofthe front frame a continuous groove or cove extending around the top of the cabinet. The top panel is laid on these cleats, with the flanges 36 at the sides and .thes e flanges and into thecleats, firmly Se along the "rear entered ;into the coves 44. Many smallnails 45 are then driven through flat molding strip 47 is laid over the joint on the :outside of the panels, and nails 48 are driven-through thisstrip and the panels and into thecleat or'nailing strip 46. The'final nailing strip 49 is then nailed across the united panels along the bottom of that portionthat is to form'the backwall of the cabinet, 'The top and bottom panels are then placed in proper relation to the front member and the united side and rear panels are biou'ght into proper relation to the rear edges of the top'and bottom panels and the Wings bent forwardly until they engage the sides r of the front member with the flanges 33 lying in the vertica'l coves 16 in the front member. During this assembly operation, the insulating'material and the refrigerator lining,

not shown, will-have been brought into proper positionwith respect to the front, top and bottom. Then,'after all the parts have been asfimbled, suitable clamps are'ap'plied,'p ressingallof the parts into their'final positions,

and-the joints are nailed. Nails, all indicated by the reference character 45, are driven through the-front flange 36 of the top panel into the front frame, through the top flanges 37 on the side and rear panels and into the top nailing cleats, and upwardly through the flanges 13 and 40 and the overly-- 1n bottom panel into the front frame and the r-nailing strip 49;

After the parts have been assembled, as just explained, suitable moldings or strips 50 are placed into the cove surrounding the top of thesti-uc ture and alsointo the coves formed liii the two front vertical corners, these moldings or strips beingfastened in place by means of nails 51 driven through the same and into the frame members against which they lie. It will be. seen that these molding "elements not only serve tojfinish the corners that are ordinarily exposed, but they assist in securing jthepanels in place by reason of the fact that they clamp the flanges on the panels between thefmoldings andthe inner frame. r

Itwill be seen that the entire'outer surface of the "cabinet;- except the moldings, unless-the latterbemetal sheathed,-is covered with sheet metal which has no. 'edges exposed, even though it be niade of a considerable number mam of pieces. It will also be seen that all ofthe elements of the cabinet may be properly cut as a factory process and' be shipped in a flat,

knocked-down condition to a remote point, and that when the parts reach their destination they maybe quickly assembled and secured together, to form astrongruggedcabinet, by simply placing the parts in proper relation to eachother and drivingnumerous small closely spaced nails into the-same.

assembled by nailing them together, the rigidity of the structure depends on the nailedjoints and a lack of stretchingca'pacity in the panels. If one of the panels say the top :panel is pounded, or hasaheavy pres- "Y5 Since the several factory-made parts are sure applied to its flat surface along an edge, V v

the body portion thereof might be compressed to an extent which would leave a. slacknes'sv in the sheathing Where it turns the corner; possibly resulting in a looseness in "the struc- 'ture. Any such possibility may be avoided by flanging both of the sheathings into the coves. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 15 wherein, is the body or core of the top panel,and- 61 and 62 are the metal sheathings. The inner sheathing extends beyond the core and is flanged into the cove in the" frame as indicated :at 63; the outer sheathing being alsoibent downinto'the'cove as indicated at 64. When-the nails 51 are driven through these flanges and into theframe member, no displacement of the panel can take place Without stretching the metal of the inner sheathing. Therefore, even through the core of the sheathing shouldbe crushed, the structural rigidity of the shell or cabinet would not be impaired. Another advantage of this construction is thataccurate'assemblyis made easier'and more certain. Whenthe panels are placed in position it is natural to pull them more or less. Such pulling might result in a slight crushing of the corner of the core over which the outer sheathing isbent and a slight displacement of the panel as a whole.

After the two flanges of a double-sheathed much more costly. The metal sheathing is glued on the front frame under heavy pressure, with the web portions of the channels engaged with a true plane surface. Then, after the glue has set, the sheathing so ties the frame together that no distortion takes place and the character initially given to the outer ,f'aceof the frame remains permanent. The

gluing of thesheathing on the panels is effectedin the same way so that the panels are no q perfectly flat. The parts, being accurately out before being assembled to form the cabinet, are not subjected to any stresses, during assembly, which would cause distortion. Consequently the faces of the completed cabinet are perfectly flat.

It will therefore be seen that we have produced a construction that can be made at a low labor cost, of inferior wooden framing, if desired, that may be shipped in a knockeddown condition and be easily and quickly assemble, and Which, when assembled will be an attractive, strong and rigid cabinet with perfectly flat metal faces. Furthermore, While our improved cabinet may be used for various purposes, it is particularly applicable to refrigerators, because any desired interior construction can readily be applied thereto and because of the improved door openings and closures therefor which permit the use of.

tightly fitting doors and, if desired doors that lie flush with the front face of the cabinet.

The structure heretofore described is a cabinet without legs. If supporting legs are desired, these may conveniently be made as separate elements secured to the bottom panel and forming with them a single unit. A suitable form of leg is illustrated in Figs. 12-14. Each leg is made of two pieces of sheet metal bent into angle shape and welded together to form a box-like structure open at both ends. These two pieces are indicated at and 71. The upper margins of the outer member, 70, are bent inwardly to form flanges 72, while the upper marginal portions of the inner members 71 are bent outwardly to form flanges 7 3 whose upper faces lie in a plane elevated above the plane of the tops of the flanges 7 2 a distance equal to the thickness of the metal sheathing on the walls of the cabinet. Therefore, when such a leg is set under a corner of the cabinet, the flanges or shelves 13, 40 rest on the flanges 7 2 and the body portion of the bottom sheathing for the bottom wall of the cabinet rests on the flanges 73, giving a firm support on all parts of the leg.

The legs may conveniently be bolted to the bottom panel. To this end we have welded in the top of each leg a transverse wall 7 4: provided with a bolt hole 75. A bolt 76 may be passed through the hole in the plate or wall 7 4 and through the bottom panel, as shown in Fig. 14. The front frame may be cut away on the under side, as indicated at 77, to provide spaces to receive the heads of the bolts that secure the front legs. The rear lower nailing strip may be similarly treated at the point where the rear legs are located.

lVhile we have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of our invention, with a simple modification, We do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and describe; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of the invention constituting the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A preformed article of manufacture adapted to form the front wall of a refrigerator or the like comprising a wooden frame and a metal sheathing glued over the front face of the frame the sheathing being flanged over the outer edges and into the frame opening.

2. A preformed article of manufacture adapted to form the front wall of a refrigerator or the like, comprising a rectangular wooden frame having a cross piece between the top and bottom, and a sheathing of sheet metal glued upon the front face of the frame, the edges of the sheathing being flanged over the outer edges of the frame and also over the edges bounding the frame openings.

In testimony whereof, we sign this specification.

GEORGE E. MEYERCORD. FRANK M. CURRAN. 

